Ukraine Admits Counteroffensive, But Moscow Denies Success (Worthy News Radio)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KYIV/MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News)– Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged that his country’s long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia has begun. The comments come after an escalation of fighting in the south and east of Ukraine and Moscow expressing doubts about Kyiv’s progress of the widely anticipated push.
With fighting escalating, it was difficult for Ukrainian President Zelensky not to admit the counteroffensive against invading Russian troops had started. Yet Moscow claims the counterattack does not go according to Kyiv’s plan.
In a show of defiance, Russia’s defense minister awarded medals to soldiers on Sunday after Moscow claimed its forces destroyed four German-made Leopard tanks and five U.S.-made Bradley fighting vehicles.
It allegedly happened while repelling a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Russia also said Sunday that Ukraine had failed to attack a Russian naval ship with six high-speed drone boats as the Russian vessel patrolled significant natural gas pipelines in the Black Sea.
The Russian defense ministry said the ‘Priazovye’ ship was “minoring and ensuring security along the routes of the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines in the southeastern part of the Black Sea.”
Ukraine allegedly attacked in the early hours of Sunday about 300 kilometers or 186 miles south-east of Sevastopol, the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula.
UNMANNED U.S. AIRCRAFT?
Moscow claimed that a U.S. unmanned surveillance aircraft was in the central area of the Black Sea during the attack.
Russia and Turkey formally launched TurkStream with a capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters per year in January 2020.
The pipeline allows Moscow to bypass Ukraine as a European transit route. It carries Russian natural gas to southern Europe through the Black Sea and Turkey. The Blue Stream pipeline delivers Russian gas to Turkey.
Earlier Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed that Kyiv’s long-expected counteroffensive was already failing.
But Ukrainian President Zelensky warned Moscow that his forces would prevail. “It’s interesting what Putin said about our counteroffensive. It is important that Russia always feels this: that they do not have long left, in my opinion,” he said.
Zelensky added: “Counteroffensive and defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine, at which stage I will not talk about in detail. And I believe that we will definitely feel it all.”
CANADA PRIME MINISTER
President Zelensky spoke after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged 500 million dollars in new funding for military assistance for Ukraine during an unannounced trip to war-time Kyiv on Saturday. “In addition, I am announcing that today Canada will be part of the multinational efforts to train fighter pilots and to help maintain Ukraine’s fighter-jet program, leveraging Canadian expertise in these areas,” he told reporters.
“We will also be contributing to the multinational Leopard tank maintenance initiative. We will provide an additional 288 AIM 7 missiles, which will support Ukraine in its efforts to defend Ukrainian skies. And from existing funds, we will provide 10,000 rounds of 105-millimeter ammunition to the Ukraine security forces,” Trudeau added.
He visited hours after several people reportedly died in Russian missiles and drone strikes.
And in the Kherson region, thousands are still encountering difficulties in severe flooding caused by the hydroelectric plant and dam damage, with Moscow and Kyiv accusing each other of shelling the facility. Additionally, Ukrainian authorities said three people were killed on Sunday, and ten were wounded when Russian forces attacked a boat carrying evacuees from flooded occupied territory to the Ukrainian-controlled city of Kherson. Moscow has denied targeting civilians.
However, Russia’s military also faces troubles, with drone attacks reported inside Russia. The country’s most powerful mercenary said Sunday that his Wagner fighters would not sign any contract with Russia’s Defense minister.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner group, has repeatedly attacked President Putin’s top military leaders, saying they “failed to fight the war in Ukraine properly.”
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